


Don't Look Back

by venomandchampagne (sushibunny)



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fix-It, Inspired by Mythology, Just Assume What They Alluded to Happening in the Finale Does Happen, Spoilers for the end of The Originals, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 00:05:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15473067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushibunny/pseuds/venomandchampagne
Summary: She only had one chance, one try to bring him back.But she had to get him to agree to come with her first.





	Don't Look Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fanetjuh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanetjuh/gifts).



> I was inspired by one of your prompts, I think you can figure out which one ;) I decided to combine it with canon happenings and I hope you enjoy what I came up with!
> 
> This contains spoilers for the penultimate episode of The Originals and possibly spoilers for the finale, depending on what happens. So read at your own risk, or just wait a day until it airs :P

The path was dark, ancient looking stone steps leading down into the depths of… wherever she was; Caroline wasn’t really clear on the details. No one had really explained how the whole afterlife thing worked now that The Other Side and Hell had been destroyed. Did that mean only Heaven was left? That didn’t seem right to her; where did all the bad people go then? Surely they didn’t end up in the same place as the good ones?

That lead to more thoughts, thoughts on where exactly she was headed. Would she be walking into some version of paradise, or were there still places hidden away for the worst of the worst? And which place did she really think he would be?

She shook the thoughts from her head, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. She could ponder the moral implications of the situation later; right now she had to focus on finding him.

Finding Klaus.

Bonnie had been very clear when she had agreed to help- quite begrudgingly, of course- stay on the path, never stray, and follow the guiding light. The pale green fire that danced in front of her sent chills down her spine instead of warmth as she followed the bobbing orb down the steps. It was just bright enough that she could see an arm’s length in front of her, but that was all, the rest of her surroundings pitch black.

But it wasn’t so much the lack of light that put Caroline on edge as it was the lack of everything else. There were only the stairs, seemingly endless, forever twisting and turning downwards; or at least she thought they were, it was impossible to tell in the impenetrable darkness. All sounds seemed muted, her footsteps barely a dull thump as she walked. And even with her supernatural hearing she could pick up no other noises around her, which was not at all comforting. She had tried humming to herself at the start, just to feel less intimidated, but it was almost like there was a wall around her, muffling the sound and preventing it from carrying. It was creepy frankly, and she had remained silent after that.

The air also felt lacking, dry and cold. Caroline would say it felt like death if she was a bit more dramatic. But then again she supposed that would be a fitting descriptor considering where she was, somewhere in the veil between life and death according to her friend.

Bonnie had been exceedingly reluctant to help her at first. She had been enjoying her self-imposed ban on supernatural dealings, traveling the world like Caroline had dreamt of for herself what seemed like forever ago. Thoughts of Paris, Rome, Tokyo flitted through her mind before she could stop herself, a sad smile crossing her lips before she forced herself to focus once more. Convincing Bonnie to use her magic to help bring someone back, a Mikaelson of all people, had been a hard fought battle.

In the end, it wasn’t only Caroline’s pleas that had convinced Bonnie, but Hope Mikaelson as well. The grieving girl had painted a sympathetic picture; a teenager who had just lost her mother, struggling with her powers and abilities, needing to constantly fend off supernatural attackers who were after her friends and family, and having just become an orphan? Needless to say, Bonnie could relate.

When she had finally agreed, with none too few stipulations and restrictions on Klaus’ behalf- which Caroline was sure would be a fun conversation later, but as long as that conversation happened she would deal with as much angry pouting as necessary- Bonnie, Hope, and Freya had performed an ancient spell meant to allow one to retrieve their true love from the Underworld. Despite her initial reluctance, Bonnie had no qualms about teasing Caroline over the wording of the spell. Freya had assured her it was just the usual flourish and embellishment common with old spells, but the smirk on the Original Witch’s face diminished the affect of the reassuring words significantly.

And so there she found herself, trudging down those endless stairs, mind swirling and gut clenching more with every step. She tried to focus on Bonnie’s instructions, on the time she had spent with Klaus during his last few days, on their past, on the possible future; anything to keep her mind from wandering back to the moment he plunged the white oak stake through his own heart, saving his daughter and ending his life in one fell swoop.

Caroline was so busy focusing on steadying her breathing and forcing those intrusive thoughts away once more when she misstepped, foot scuffing the ground roughly instead of lowering down onto a new step. She looked down in surprise, noticing that the green light had stopped, ground flattening out and leading to a plain wooden door. It looked heavy and old and, as odd as it was to think, so _Klaus_.

_“When you find his door you have five minutes, Caroline,” Bonnie had said, the portal to the afterlife opening behind her as Freya and Hope continued to chant. “Time moves strangely there, so take this, it will tell you when to go,” she continued, handing Caroline a small hourglass, the sand a pale blue. “If you stay longer you’ll be trapped down there for eternity, I won’t be able to bring you back. Do whatever you have to to convince Klaus to leave with you, but if he won’t you need to turn back before the sand runs out. Promise me, Caroline.”_

_“I swear, Bonnie, I’ll come back._ We’ll _come back.”_

_Bonnie sent her a grim smile. “One last thing. When you leave you can’t look back. If you look back at Klaus before he steps into the light of this world, he’ll be pulled back down and that’s it; he’ll be gone forever. This is a one time spell, Caroline. No matter what happens, don’t look back.”_

“Don’t look back,” Caroline repeated softly, steeling herself and reaching for the door. To her surprise it opened on its own, letting out a loud creak that echoed strangely in the soundless void. With one last deep breath she turned the hourglass and walked through.

Her senses were immediately assaulted with a bright light, making her eyes burn after being in the dark for so long. Blinking harshly, she was able to make out trees, a field, a stream. She looked behind her, feeling relieved that the door remained open there, a dark abyss of endless black. Caroline turned back, searching for a sign of the man she had grown to care so much for- something she was just allowing herself to admit- wondering where on Earth they were. Well, not Earth she supposed, but thoughts of semantics flew from her mind when she spotted a familiar head of curls lounging by the water.

“ _Klaus_ ,” she whispered, voice harsh from staying silent for so long- how long had she been walking? “Klaus!” she tried again, smile leaking into her voice as she ran towards him, vaguely noting she was running at human speed, no faster.

His head turned, surprised blue eyes locking onto hers, that smile she loved curling his lips. “Caroline.”

She didn’t stop when she reached him, too overwhelmed to keep up the facade, and she lunged at him, tumbling into his arms and almost sending them both into the stream as they fell. “Don’t you ever do that again!” she sobbed, burying her face in his neck, tears falling faster as she felt his arms curl around her waist, only hesitating a moment before pulling her tight.

“Generally you can only stake yourself to death once, love,” he said, an air of teasing in his voice, though Caroline knew him well enough to detect the heaviness hidden in his tone.

She pulled back momentarily to stare blankly at him, merely raising a brow.

A full smile crossed his face then. “Well, not for all of us, I suppose.”

Caroline simply hummed before returning to the crook of his neck, allowing herself to indulge in his scent and warmth without tearing herself up about it for once. What happens in the Underworld stays in the Underworld, right? “I’ve missed you,” she said, cheeks heating slightly at the admission.

“I miss you too, love.”

They stayed there in comfortable silence for what felt like hours but was only a few grains of sand, content with holding each other close and basking in the relief of finally being honest with what they wanted. Klaus had taken to running a hand up and down her back as they laid there, the sun of whatever afterlife they were in warming their skin in a way Caroline hadn’t felt in years, and suspected Klaus hadn’t in a millenium. It was almost disappointing when Klaus finally broke the silence, until Caroline registered his words.

“I wish you were real.”

She pulled back, confused. “What?”

“I wish you were really Caroline and not just whatever illusion this place created.” He refused to meet her eyes.

“Klaus, it’s really me. I came here to bring you back!” she said, incredulous but also slightly worried. “Your family, and Bonnie- though you’re probably not going to like her terms, by the way- they sent me here to find you and bring you back home.They’re all waiting for you, your daughter is waiting for you… I’m waiting for you.”

He finally looked up at her last words, a sad yet resigned expression on his face. “If only that were so, sweetheart.” He sat up, forcing Caroline to follow suit, and took her hand in his, thumb tracing mindless patterns on her palm. “But I know this is just another hallucination or manifestation of something I care about, here to give me a brief moment of peace before the punishment begins again.”

“Punishment?” she couldn’t help but ask, looking between his morose expression and ever moving fingers in turn, unsure where to place her attention.

Klaus continued as if she hadn’t spoken, however, gaze shifting to look longingly out across the gently babbling water, focusing on a tree near the bank. “We used to come here as children, you know,” he said, voice soft and full of something she hardly ever heard from him: innocent joy. “Kol and Rebekah used to spend hours climbing that tree over there, always fighting to see who could climb the highest. Of course, it’s where Kol broke his arm one spring as well. But he was hanging from a branch again a week later, Rebekah yelling up a storm.”

Caroline couldn’t help but smile as she heard him softly laugh as he reminisced; the sound was rare and infectious. She could almost see the scene he was describing as she followed his gaze across the water- wait, no, she actually _could_ see it! A young boy and girl, running and yelling about the tree trunk were visible, as clear as Klaus before her. When she turned to him to see if he could see them too, she was shocked to see the dreamy yet despondent look on his face as he continued to stare at the scene.

“Elijah liked to sit down by the rocks, writing poetry and working on some project or another. He would never admit it, but I knew he liked seeing those two play and act so carefree.”

She could see who must have been a young Elijah- thank goodness he had outgrown that hairstyle- doing as Klaus described, occasionally glancing up at his younger siblings and smiling.

“Even Finn enjoyed fishing by the stream. He was still too uptight for my tastes, even during play, but he knew how to cast a line.”

A slightly older young man who Caroline vaguely recognized appeared, reeling in a fish, much to the amusement of the youngest two, shrieks and laughter surrounding them.

“And you?” she asked hesitantly, glancing away from the ethereal scene and back to Klaus.

His smile turned sadder, his eyes more distant. “When I wasn’t taking the brunt of Mikael’s anger I would join them; climbing trees, sitting and carving, catching fish. I miss those days, truth be told… Don’t tell anymore.”

Her smile turned strained, more so at his last request, clearly meant sarcastically as he didn’t believe she could. “Klaus… I really am here. Please, I came to take you back, you have to believe me.”

“I wish I could, love. But it seems it’s time for the punishment, so you’ll be disappearing now anyway.”

“What, wait-”

“I’m glad I got to see you again, Caroline. Even if it was only a fleeting lie,” he said, gently cupping the sides of her face with his hands.

The look he gave her was so full of anguish, Caroline choked on her next breath. “Klaus please-!” Her eyes flitted down to the hour glass, noticing with a gasp the sand had filled up more than half. “We need to go, we’re running out of time!”

But Klaus paid her frantic cries no heed, hands dropping as his gaze instead focused on the dark cloud that was slowly pouring over the scene across the water. Caroline watched in stunned silence as the figures of Klaus’ family were consumed, disappearing into the smokey darkness that was slowly encroaching. The most disturbing part though were the voices; screams and cries of agony and rage that came with the cloud, rolling towards them like smoke over water. Caroline wasn’t positive what would happen when it reached them, but none of the scenarios her mind came up with were good.

“Klaus. We need to _leave_ ,” she tried again, more urgently this time, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to face her.

He seemed shocked to see her still there, hands moving up to grasp her wrists as if to anchor himself. “Why are you still here? They always leave before- no, you need to go! I can’t watch them- is this some new form of torture?” he yelled at the darkness, the signature Mikaelson temper appearing for the first time. It was oddly relieving, seeing that the Klaus she knew was still there. “I won’t let you, no, not her! Anything else!” His fury turned to pleading in a manner of moments, and Caroline felt her heart break all over again.

“Klaus, hey. I need you to listen.” With a gentle but firm touch she turned his face towards her, locking eyes with him. “I’m real, I’m here. I came here, wherever the hell this is- no pun intended- to bring you back. We found a spell that let them send me, but we don’t have a lot of time-” three fourths full- “and I need you to just… trust me! Please!”

He stared at her for a long time- too long in Caroline’s opinion as her eyes kept darting towards the ever approaching fog- before his eyes narrowed, sweeping over her form multiple times as he frowned. “How do I know this is really you?” he questioned, though he let her pull him to his feet. “They’ve all come to me before, hundreds of times. And it always ends the same, in torture and pain.”

“Well this time is different, because I’m really here!”

“But why? Why would you come? My daughter, my family is safe. The world is finally free of the terrible monstrous hybrid, children can sleep peacefully at night, the streets are safe once again, etcetera etcetera. Why would you bring me back?”

Caroline’s glare alternated between Klaus and the hour glass. The stream of sand was worryingly thin. “Because! I’m the only one who could.” At his frown she continued, “And I wanted to.”

“Why. Why you?”

Of course that’s the part he focused on. “It’s a part of the spell,” she hedged, eyes darting between Klaus, the cloud, and the glass now. Was the sand moving faster suddenly?

“Which part,” he asked suspiciously.

Caroline really didn't have time for this. She could count the grains left. “The true love part!” she shouted, and if looks could kill, well, Klaus would still be where he was.

Klaus looked genuinely shocked at her words, and at a loss for his own for once. Until his look turned smug suddenly as he took a step closer, closing the gap between them. “Couldn’t get enough of the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ then, sweetheart?”

Damn him and his contagious grin. “God you’re insufferable,” she said, relishing in the surprise she saw flash across his face as she pulled him down for a quick, long overdue kiss. “Now come on wolfboy, we’re out of time.”

Caroline liked to think it was the kiss that was the cause of the dazed way Klaus let her lead him to the door, but she had a feeling it also had something to do with the angry cloud mere feet behind them.

She turned as they reached the door, nervous as she gripped his hand tighter. “I don’t know how all the rules to this work, but just promise me you’ll be right behind me. Promise you’ll follow me no matter what?”

“I’ll follow you anywhere, Caroline.”

She believed him.

Taking a deep breath, she strode through the door, watching as the last grain of sand finally fell. The door slammed shut behind them and Klaus squeezed her hand once before his touch suddenly vanished.

“Klaus?!” Caroline started to turn, barely catching herself as she remembered Bonnie’s warning. “Are you there?” Silence. “Right. Don’t look back. I just have to trust he’s still there. Super easy.”

She followed the green light back up the steps, straining her hearing in search of any sound that would indicate Klaus was behind her, but there was nothing. The entire, agonizingly long trek up the stone stairs was as silent as the one down. All she could hear besides the soft scrape of her shoes against the stone was the frenetic beat of her own heart in her ears.

After what felt like an eternity she saw the light of the portal up ahead and had to force herself not to run or turn back to pull Klaus through with her. He was behind her, he had to be. She just had to believe.

As she approached the exit her breathing became ragged. What if he wasn’t behind, what if he had never made it out the door? Was she leaving him stuck in that weird mix of Heaven and Hell? Maybe she should go back, should just make sure…

No, she had to keep going. He was behind her, he had to be.

“I swear I’ll find a way to kill you again if you’re not behind me, Klaus,” she whispered, voice wavering as she fought off tears. “Please, I need- I need you.”

Holding her breath and closing her eyes she stepped through.

The light was blinding on the other side, even through her eyelids, and she squeezed her eyes closed tighter, stumbling forward a few steps as her senses were all assaulted at once. The scent of herbs burning, the sound of voices questioning her, the taste of life itself in the air. She was back. She had made it.

But Caroline couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes, to look back. What if she had failed? What if her fears had come true? What if-

“Shh, it’s alright, love. You have me.”

Caroline whipped around, eyes wide and wet. A smiling face and those bright blue eyes that haunted her dreams filled her vision. And then there were lips on her own and a hand in her hair and all she could see was forward.

She’d never need to look back again.


End file.
